Scorpene submarines to join fleet without torpedoes

Alongside a
three-year delay in adding six new Scorpene submarines to its depleting ranks,
the Indian Navy faces an even more disquieting prospect --- the Scorpenes will start
joining the fleet in 2016 without their main weapon, the heavyweight torpedo.

Submarines carry
two major weapons --- missiles against ships and land targets, and torpedoes to
sink enemy ships and submarines. Missiles can be intercepted by anti-missile systems;
and they inflict less damage. Torpedoes are harder to intercept and they blast holes
below the waterline that quickly flood their targets, sinking them.

Inexplicably,
the ministry of defence (MoD) has failed to buy torpedoes to arm the Scorpenes
it contracted for in 2005. In 2008, after a global tender, Italian company WASS
was selected to supply their Black Shark torpedoes that were specifically
engineered for the Scorpene. In 2011, a price was finalised: about $300 million
for 98 torpedoes. Yet, even today, the contract remains unsigned.

Consequently,
when the first Scorpene submarine is commissioned in 2016, it will be armed only
with the Exocet anti-ship missile. Were it to be challenged by Pakistan’s silent
new Khalid-class submarines --- the French Agosta-90B --- the Scorpene will
have empty torpedo tubes. Even if the new government signs the contract quickly,
delivery would be unlikely before 2017.

The MoD did
not respond to Business Standard’s emailed questions.

A top-level
navy planner laments the MOD’s lack of accountability, contrasting it with how
former navy chief, Admiral DK Joshi, took responsibility for warship accidents and
resigned. Says the naval officer: “If a military person were responsible for
commissioning a Rs 4,000 crore submarine without its primary armament, he would
be charged with dereliction of duty.”

The delay in
signing the torpedo contract followed accusations that WASS had won unfairly, a
tactic commonly used by arms vendors who are confident the MoD will suspend the
contract and order investigations.

Eventually,
Defence Minister AK Antony referred the matter to the Central Vigilance
Commission, which found no indication of wrongdoing. Even so, the MoD continues
to stonewall.

The prospect
of an unarmed Scorpene has sent alarm bells through a navy that is down to just
11 submarines, against a minimum of 18 that naval planners require for safeguarding
India’s maritime interests.

Of 14
submarines in the fleet, three Russian Kilo-class vessels are unavailable: INS
Sindhurakshak was destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion in Mumbai last August;
INS Sindhuratna will take a year to repair after a fire in February. A third,
INS Sindhukirti, was scuttled by Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam (HSL),
which dismantled the submarine for refit in 2006 but cannot put it back
together again.

The navy is
furious that a Rs 1,500 crore frontline submarine was lost because the MoD insisted
on providing work to HSL, a public sector shipyard without expertise in
submarine repair.

Disregarding
this experience, the MoD now insists that HSL builds one of the six new
submarines being procured under the Rs 50,000 crore Project 75I. Cabinet sanction
is being obtained for two to be built abroad and four in India --- one in HSL
and three in an unspecified shipyard, probably Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai (MDL).

A senior admiral
observes wryly, “INS Sindhukirti has already been destroyed by HSL. Now let us
see whether it reduces Project 75I from six submarines to five.”

Building
Project 75I in two Indian shipyards would also mean paying double for transfer
of technology (ToT) --- which includes supervisors, instructors, special tools,
jigs, etc. In the Scorpene contract, MDL paid Rs 6000 crore for ToT. This would
more than double if Project 75I is shared between two Indian shipyards.

Even so,
the die seems cast. Navy sources tell Business Standard that former secretary
of defence production, RK Singh, who became home secretary and then joined the
BJP, insisted on HSL’s participation as a condition for Project 75I.

The MoD
took over HSL from the Ministry of Shipping in Feb 2010, a white elephant that
the latter was glad to forego. The Rajya Sabha was informed on August 24, 2011
that HSL had accumulated losses of Rs 930 crore and a negative net worth of Rs
628 crore.

The MoD is
stonewalling another measure that the navy believes essential for overcoming the
submarine shortage. With the Scorpene and Project 75I delayed, the navy has
proposed extending the service life and providing a mid-life upgrade to the existing
submarines, which have exceeded the dives and hours of service that manufacturers
prescribe. That proposal has lain with the MoD for six months now, while the
submarine fleet becoming increasingly more hazardous to operate.

9 comments:

I feel time is right for putting accountability for criminal negligence on to who so ever decided to gift INS Sindhukirti to HSL allowing it to be ripped open & turned to scrap. If HSL is allowed another submarine under P75I god forbid what will happen.

As for Scorpenes not having torpedos, i had heard the 'saint' RM Anotony has decided to leave it for next govt.

As i see if all goes well IN will operate 7 different types of submarines in the next 2 to 3 decades not counting the 2 Akula SSGNs (1 on lease and another to be leased), how? this is how:-

1. 4 HDW/Shishumar that still have atleast 15 yrs of life left in them2. 7 Kilo/Sindhughosh that have 10/15 yrs life left in them & post upgrade will serve another 15 yrs3. 6 Scorpenes under P75 that will serve till 2050 atleast4. 6 advanced Scopenes or another class chosen through bidding under P75I that will serve till 2070 (launched after 2025)5. 3 Arihant class SSBNs 6. 3 bigger follow on of Arihant SSBNs7. atleast 6 SSNs to guard the 6 SSBNs

this will be a ultimate logistics nightmare & will pose serious operational handicap (i think). to avoid these the best way forward i feel is to:-

1. let the Shishumar/Sindhughosh retire without further upgrades by 20252. build 12 more Scorpenes with AIP (Stirling AIP may be) till 2030 launching 1 sub every 9 months after the current 6 and then add AIP module in the current lot of 6 during mid life upgrades from 2025 onwards3. build 6 to 9 SSNs with land attack capability based on the French Barracuda class SSNs which are themselves a derivative of Scorpenes (some say land attack ability on conventional SSKs is not needed)

that way IN will have 4 different class of submarines by 2030 such and achieve/exceed the target of 30 subs decided sometime back with:-

The man with the spotless mundu- Antony is responsible for this disastrous mess in our armed forces. He has been the worst defence minister ever. With a defence minister like him who needs enemies like Pakistan and China. The only thing he has done is to blacklist every firm of repute and ensure that no deal is signed. Can anyone even imagine a submarine with its torpedoes? A sub with a torpedo is a toothless tiger. Alas, this is what the worst defence minister has reduced our armed forces to.

I think the Indian MoD will only hurry up once Pakistan signs up for the 6 Chinese subs by the end of this year. Based on Chinese production rate you might see the PN induct the 6 new subs before IN inducts are it's six Scorpions.

I was shocked to read that a government shipyard took apart a submarine and can't put it back together! Based on what I read here, the problem seems to be the MoD. But , this is not the first time, why isn't there any case registered against them yet? This is the worst form of negligence, if this is the private sector by now the officers in-charge would have been fired but over here, we don't even know the names of the MoD officers behind this fiasco. Can't parliament force the Civil Service Commission to institute a inquiry?